Debate on Standardized Testing is Focus of Education Conference

September 4, 1996

Are standardized tests the best way to measure student
performance, or are alternative methods better? If both have a
place, how can school officials make the best use of these tools
for gauging strengths, weaknesses, and mastery?

Educators can hear informed points of view on these
questions at a one-day conference on educational assessment from
8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, in Hubbell Auditorium,
Hutchison Hall, at the University of Rochester. The conference
is hosted by the University's Margaret Warner Graduate School of
Education and Human Development.

This year's conference is the sixth to have explored better
ways to track student performance. Featured keynote presenters
are Monty Neill and W. James Popham, both leading authorities on
assessment methods. In a point-counterpoint format, Popham and
Neill will discuss the merits of standardized testing as opposed
to alternative, performance-based methods of student assessment.
Small group presentations given by area educators will follow the
main discussion.

Arguing for the viability of alternative assessment methods
will be Neill, well known nationally for his work with the Center
for Fair and Open Testing in Cambridge, Mass., of which he is
associate director. Neill is also the founder and co-chair of the
National Forum on Assessment, and co-author of Fallout From the
Testing Explosion: How 100 Million Standardized Exams Undermine
Equity and Excellence in America's Public Schools.

Popham will state the case for retaining standardized tests
as the primary method of assessment. Though performance-based
testing can have merit, Popham believes, they cannot replace
standardized testing, which allows a more scientific, statistical
validation of student performance. Popham, well-known for his
work in measurement and research, is a professor emeritus at the
UCLA Graduate School of Education and the former vice president
of the American Educational Research Association's Measurement &
Research Methodology division.

To register or obtain more information about the conference,
call the Warner School's Office of Professional Development,
(585) 275-7833.

About the University of Rochester
The University of Rochester (www.rochester.edu) is one of the nation's leading private universities. Located in Rochester, N.Y., the University gives students exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty through its unique cluster-based curriculum. Its College, School of Arts and Sciences, and Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences are complemented by its Eastman School of Music, Simon School of Business, Warner School of Education, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, School of Nursing, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, and the Memorial Art Gallery.